New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-31

the Administrator ION 'up ,0uS Ron, RT iHy-
E,snsecn r ySi sSu Paiusr sP Pabhns
Tho author of tse very large work OF which the
erst instalments arc now before US remarks In his
preface that lie has neither asked nor received
advice az 10 themanner of writing IN or the pro-
priety of writing 1t at ALL This shows inuepend
ence but not discretion. Historical students might
have told him that his plan was bad one; and 1t
IA possible that Soma courageous friend might have
frankly pointed out the deficiencies in his literary
equipment. The.chronicles Of monarchy may DO
arranged by reigns. because in ordinary cases
King Ia nothing until he comes to the throne. ana
after that he is nominaIly everything. But the
history of republic like ours cannot TO ehectveiV
told in a long row of biographies of Presidents
vhose poiit,cal work is constantly overlapping one
another's. To use q popular phrase the volumes
will not connect The lives of Washington and
John Adams for instance. with which Dr. lrelah
begins his publication. cover about the same period
of time and many of the same events JEFFERSON
will take us the same ground again and 80
the movement, forward and back will 80 on to the
end of the task. If the author had confined himself
to the history of successive Administrations ne
might have avoided this Inconvenience but such
was not his purpose although 1T seems to be prom
,sed by his title page What he is writing is series
OF biographies. personal as we'll as political. IL Is
TO stretch from Washington to Andrew johnson.
Everybody will admit that DI. Irelan has laid out
for himself mighty pretty undertaking.
We cannot say that we find anything in his first
volumes which will put other lives of Washington
and Adams out of favor throw new light upon
any chapters Of our national history. He seems to
have consulted the usual authorities but not 10
have gone beyond them, and never to have pros
ecuted any deep researches into difficult problems
He has no skill in narration his military chapters
are dull his political chapters are loose and cohiils
ing, he is prone to snap-judgments expressed with
exaggerated emphasis, and he is perhaps tae only
historian of our time who defends the AHeh ana
Sedition laws He 10 never tired of denouncing the
telfshness and lack of patriotism of our revolution
ary ancestors. and he declares that the matter
NAV be REGARDED as settled beyond dispute" that
thew deserve little credit for the Republic and all
its present inestimable grandeur" since they were
forced into the revolution against their VIII. lie
il very severe upon Washington for some defects
which he believes that he can discern In his man.
ners as o young man and he bitterly ana repeat
edly laments the mperfection OF our hrst rresi-
dents early education, which left him to the end
of his life cbargeabe with certain lack OF literary
polish and even with "ungrammatical Vulgariy
9What would be ground of reasonable apology" ne
saws. for want OF this kind in the days Of Wash
present time No refined and intelligent com
munty at this day could tolerate the grammatical
icnoramus. however lenient it might be toward
other deficiencies. Clean and correct speech is as
essential an element in n passport to good society
as clean bodies and clean morals" These senti-
mepts are so commendablc that we cannot refrain
from illustrating them by the authors own
example: The French. he says, Scultivated the
friendship of the Indians and hoped by this to pre-
vent the English even penetrating beyond inc
Aloghany Mountains and thus conhning them 10
strip of the continent stretching along the Atantc
Coast" To use one of Dr. lrelan's original phrases.
il is somewhat certain that the last clause of this
sentence will not parse. And we believe that IN
intelligent community at this day will not tolerate
such uugramlnatcal vulgarity as the opposite OF
their assertions were known to be true AS a
specimen of "clean and correct speech we oher
the following paragraph which follows passage OF
about quarter of page npOn General Gate In
the midst of the ordeal through which Washington
and the country were now passing IN his letter TO
Patrick Henry. Governor OF Virginia, concerning
the condition of the army, and in which &c INDUCES
10 lis friend in a comparison of the force under his
immediate command and that arranged and sur
rounded for success in NewYorK. he adds the senti
ment which distinguished him from the great mass
of officers who tonight for American freedom: But
It is to be hoped that all will yet end we'll If the
cause is advanced. Indifferent is it to me where or
in what quarter it happens" This is plainly in
applicable to Gates, to whom tie paragraph mist
dramatically refer, and we were for some time in
doubt whom Dr. Irelan was talking about. 1t seems
that. however by the prepositve "he' our author
means neither Gates nor Washington. but General
Schuyler, who has been mentioned half page
earlier. aud has since dropped oHt of the narrative.
DR.. Irean often breaks out IL wrath at the dis
If he Ey col
lency" and similar contemplate distinctions"
which Washington was weak enough to tolerate
and hch are still used among political blather-
sixties and o few other brainless and fooish peO-
ple" His antipathy to the labels of rank Is so
violent that he feels constrained to point the finger
of scorn. it by printing lord, lOrdship,"
and "majesty" between inverted commas. But
the most coInical exhibition of his temper is his Oft
expressed rcmonstrance against tho belief that
Washington's character was greatly influenced by
his mother. He seems to have a theory that the
stamp of the soul is always derived from the father.
while the habit of a.trbung all the good the world
has ever enjoyed to women is vagary of preach
ers and other of eulogistic extravaganza.
Toward Mary Washington accordingly he enter
tains marked animOsty. awhile could take no
pleasure in deprecatng the real virtues and works
of the mother of Washington, must again assert
tho belief that even the stress put upon the nse
supposed to have been made of the old thumb worn
COPY of Sir Matthew IIale's book, found among the
other relics of the Washington family has been the
repetition and perpetuatiol of the old fraudulent
gnsh about mothers forming the character Ct the
great'and the good and otherwise being the Moral
support of the world. Woman is morally strong
only through tho wisdom and myth of man,
orderly and lovingly appropriated"
Tho truth ought to be told plainly about DR..
Irala ha haa nd fnE "
knowing how to use his tools. ITO write and
read" says Dogbcrry, comes by nature; and it
10 o common delusoD with unframed persons that
they can write books without having learned how.
Literary composition is line and difficult art, not
10 lie acanlred xlhnut hard stndy and nractich as